Councillor takes own life over loss of public and family funds

Mlanagali ward councillor Rudolf Kacheche committed suicide inside his office on March 19, this year, a close relative has informed. He was buried in Njombe region yesterday.

The late Kacheche left a message stating he had decided to commit suicide due to failure to recover 81m/- he wired to a person identified as Dr Kapanda Mligo, a resident of Dar es Salaam.

He stated in the message that he sent Mligo the money at different times through mobile phone money transfer service provided by Vodacom Tanzania known as M-Pesa and through NBC Njombe Branch.

He asked Special Seats MP Pindi Chana and her Ludewa counterpart, Deo Fulikonjombe to recover the money for him.

A family spokesperson, Betram Chaula, who is a teacher at Matika Primary School, said the late Kacheche realised that he was dealing with a conman after Mligo refused to repay the money.

Elaborating, he said that out of 81m/-, a total of 45m/- was public money, which the deceased had taken from Malangali Savings and Credit Cooperation Society (Saccos) and 36m/- belonged to his family.

Mlangali Saccos chairman Hellen Kizota and manager Osward Msafiri said that the late Kacheche took a loan of 9m/- from the association.

CCM Secretary in Ludewa district Eva Degeleki said the late Kacheche was among the good party leaders in the region.

Giving more details about the incident, Mlangali ward executive officer Makamba Matalawasula said that on March 19 this year he tried to reach Kacheche over his mobile phone, but the phone didn’t go through.

He said that they were scheduled to supervise development activities in their ward that’s why he had called him.

Matalawasula said during mid-night on the same day, he was informed that Kacheche had committed suicide inside his office. The late Kacheche has left a widow and five children.

Regarding a by-election to fill the post, Degeleki said they are waiting for directives from the National Electoral Commission (NEC).